Bridging visa A - BVA - (subclass 010)

Features

This visa allows you to stay in Australia until your application for a new substantive visa is decided.​

Eligibility

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Length of stay

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Cost

From AUD 0

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Global processing times

Global processing times are unavailable for this visa.

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Learn about...​

Eligibility

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Who could get this visa

You will have automatically applied for a BVA if you applied for certain substantive visas and:

you are in Australia

the substantive visa can be granted to you while you are in Australia

when you lodged that application, you still held a substantive visa.

We will tell you if this happens.

You can apply separately for a BVA after you have applied for a substantive visa in Australia if:

you were granted a BVA or a
Bridging visa B (BVB) but this has ended and you meet the requirements for another BVA

your current BVA or BVB either does not allow you to work in Australia, or there are work restrictions, but you believe you have a compelling need to work. We might ask you to provide evidence that you are in financial hardship

you apply for judicial review after a merits review tribunal upholds our decision to refuse your substantive visa application, as you will need a separate bridging visa to maintain your lawful status during the judicial review proceedings.

Further criteria must be satisfied for the BVA to be granted.

The visa

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About this visa

A Bridging visa A (BVA) is a temporary visa. It can be granted if you lodge an application in Australia for a new substantive visa while you still hold a current substantive visa.

It allows you to remain lawfully in Australia after your current substantive visa ends and while your new substantive visa application is being processed. A substantive visa is any visa which is not a bridging visa or a criminal justice visa or an enforcement visa.

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What you can do

A BVA allows you to remain lawfully in Australia until a decision is made on your substantive visa application.

If you still hold a current substantive visa when your BVA is granted, you must continue to comply with any conditions that are on that substantive visa. When your substantive visa ends, the conditions of your BVA will apply.

Why you need a bridging visa

You need a bridging visa to stay in Australia if your substantive visa ends before you are granted another substantive visa. If you are in Australia without a visa, you become an unlawful non-citizen for that period of time. Being an unlawful non-citizen in Australia can cause problems for you, such as:

if you are granted a permanent visa and later apply for Australian citizenship, you might not be eligible to become an Australian citizen as soon as you would like to because you were an unlawful non-citizen for a period of time

if your substantive visa application is refused, and you leave Australia, and you later apply for another visa outside Australia you might not be able to be granted another visa for three years after you leave Australia.

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Cost

There is no charge for a BVA application.

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Location

You and anyone included in your application must be in Australia when the BVA application is both lodged and granted.

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How long your visa lasts

Usually a BVA comes into effect as soon as it is granted or when your current substantive visa ends.

A BVA will end immediately if the following situations occur:

you leave Australia while your BVA is in effect

you are granted the substantive visa you applied for

you are granted another Bridging visa (such as a BVB) in relation to the same substantive visa application that this BVA is associated with

we cancel either your BVA or the substantive visa that you held when you were granted the BVA.

Family

If you and your family have applied together for a substantive visa in Australia, you might have also applied together for a BVA. However, each member of the family will have to meet the requirements for a BVA in their own right.

If you apply separately for a BVA, you can include the following people in your visa application:

Your obligations

You must comply with all Australian laws and visa conditions.

Follow these steps

Before you apply

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Check if you already hold a BVA

You will have automatically applied for a BVA if you applied in Australia for a certain type of visa when you were still the holder of a substantive visa. In this case, you do not need to lodge a separate application for a Bridging visa. This includes most visas that can be granted while you are in Australia except for medical treatment visas, visitor visas, resident return visas, bridging visas, enforcement visas and criminal justice visas.

If you need to apply for a BVA separately, there are two options available to you, depending on how you applied for your associated substantive visa. These are outlined below.

Apply

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Apply for the visa online

You can apply online using
ImmiAccount if you have applied for your substantive visa through ImmiAccount and a decision has not yet been made on that application.

Note: You cannot apply online if you have made an application for merits or judicial review.

Emailed and faxed applications will not be accepted unless you have been specifically permitted to do so by your case officer.

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Apply for the visa by post or courier

If online lodgement is not available, you can complete the following form:

Send the application form with all necessary documents to the
Australian office that is processing your associated substantive visa application.

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More information

There is more
information to help you prepare your application, such as certifying and translating documents into English, communicating with us, using a registered migration agent, authorising another person to receive information from us, and receiving assistance with your application.

After you apply

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Wait for a decision

You will receive written advice when a decision is made on your BVA application.

If you are granted a BVA you will also receive advice about any conditions that might be on it.

Note: Contact us if you do not receive a letter advising of the BVA decision within seven working days of the date that you lodged your online application for a substantive visa as there might be a technical error.

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Visa decision

If the visa is granted, we will let you know:

when you can use the visa

the visa grant number

any conditions attached to the visa.

You will not have a visa label placed in your passport.

If the visa is not granted, we will send you a letter or email to tell you:

why the visa was refused

your review rights (if any)

the time limit for lodging an appeal.

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Provide more information

You can provide more information to us, in writing, at any time until a decision is made on the application. If you want to correct information you provided, use:

Send the form with all necessary documents to the relevant visa and citizenship
office in Australia that is processing your associated substantive visa application.

We could also ask you for more information. You will have to respond by a set date. After that date, we can make a decision about your application using the information that we have. If you applied online, you can provide additional information, including Form 1023, using
ImmiAccount.

If another person gives us information that could result in you being refused a visa, we will usually give you the opportunity to comment on the information.

You might also be interviewed by us. If you are asked to attend an interview in person, bring your passport or other identification and any requested documents to the interview.

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Tell us of changes

You must tell us if your circumstances change. This includes a new residential address, a new passport, or a pregnancy, birth, divorce, separation, marriage, de facto relationship or death in your family.

More information is available in the Tell us of changes tab.

Tell us of changes

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Changes to your circumstances

You must tell us if your circumstances change. This includes a new residential address, a new passport, or a pregnancy, birth or death in your family.

Please report changes in your circumstances via ImmiAccount. If you are not able to use ImmiAccount, you can use the following forms:

Form 929 - Change of address and/or passport details (86KB PDF) — if you move to a new address or change your passport

Form 1022 - Notification of changes in circumstances (77KB PDF) — if there are other changes in your circumstances.

Send the form(s) with all necessary documents to the relevant visa and citizenship
office in Australia that is processing your associated substantive visa application.

If you applied online, you might be able to update your details using
ImmiAccount

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Withdrawing your visa application

You can withdraw the application at any time before we make a decision about it. To do this, send us a letter or email to ask for the withdrawal. Your request must include your full name and date of birth. You should also include your file reference number, client ID, or a Transaction Reference Number.

Everyone included in the application who is 18 years of age or older must sign the letter of withdrawal or send a separate email.